Worcester woman gets prison in fake marriage scheme

A Worcester woman, originally from Kenya, was sentenced to a year in prison this week for her role in a fake marriage scheme in Maine.

Margaret Kimani, 30, of Brookside Avenue, Worcester, was one of 28 defendants convicted of being part of a fake marriage scheme that centered around Lewiston, Maine. She was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Bangor, Maine.

Ms. Kimani is accused of paying a Maine man to marry her so that she could obtain permanent residency status, known as a green card, and remain in the United States. She was charged with defrauding the United States by engaging in a marriage fraud conspiracy.

According to the office of Maine U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty III, Ms. Kimani entered the United States from Kenya legally on a visa. That visa expired, and in 2003, Ms. Kimani paid a Massachusetts man between $1,000 and $1,500 to arrange a fake marriage between her and a resident of Lewiston, Maine. The Lewiston resident, a U.S. citizen, later backed out of the scheme, the U.S. attorney's office said.

Ms. Kimani then filed a petition under the Violence Against Women Act, accusing her "husband" of abusing her. Based on her claims, immigration authorities granted her permanent residency, the U.S. attorney's office said.

The scheme was orchestrated by Rashid Kakande, 41, of Lexington, Mass. and James Mbugua, 53. of Springfield, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Mr. Kakande was ordered to pay a fine of $20,000 and had his 2-year prison sentence reduced to 19 months after testifying against another defendant in the case.

Mr. Mbugua fled the United States in 2010 after he was indicted, and is considered a fugitive from justice.

Ms. Kimani, a licensed practical nurse whose 4-year-old daughter is a U.S. citizen, will likely be deported to Kenya. Eight of 18 foreign nationals convicted in the sham marriage scheme have already been deported, according to Bruce Foucart, special agent in charge for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations in Boston. Mr. Foucart told the Bangor Daily News that removal proceedings are pending against other foreign nationals charged in the scheme.

A man from Worcester, Francis Waweru of Henry Street, was one of the 28 defendants in the case, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Gail Fisk Malone.

The Maine fake marriage cases mimic another federal fake marriage case brought against immigrants and U.S. citizens in Worcester.

Melissa Ann Lewis, of Worcester, pleaded guilty in 2012 of marrying three men in 2006, all in an attempt to obtain green cards for them. She obtained marriage certificates in Pawtucket, R.I.; Worcester, and Southbridge. She was sentenced to four months home confinement with electronic monitoring, and two years probation.

Hai Tao Mo, a native of China, and George Kwame Asante, of Ghana, were found guilty of fraud and misusing visas/permits and other documents in the 2012 case. Mr. Mo's sentencing is scheduled for April 28.

This week, Mr. Asante, also charged with fraud and misusing documents, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to time served, six months of home confinement with electronic monitoring and two years probation.

A third man who was alleged to have paid to marry Ms. Lewis, Nganga Mbira, a Kenyan citizen, was previously found not guilty of fraud by a federal jury.

But while charges have been filed in these cases, a purported large sham marriage scheme that centered around Worcester has not resulted in any arrests.

Worcester City Clerk David J. Rushford told the Sunday Telegram three years ago that he had reported suspicious activity to federal authorities in 2005.

He told federal agents that a person arranged to connect immigrants, mostly from Africa, with "down-and-out" Worcester County residents, who married the immigrants for money. The immigrants paid as much as $6,000 to an arranger, who then found someone to marry them.

Federal court documents have revealed that Worcester resident Darlene Haynes, who was killed and whose baby girl was taken from her womb at 8- months gestation, married a Worcester man for money as part of the fake marriage scheme here. That man, however, has not been charged with paying for a sham marriage — nor have any of those who allegedly arranged the marriage.

Julie Corey, of Worcester, was recently sentenced to life in prison for the 2009 killing of Ms. Haynes and kidnapping her unborn baby.